MYKEL'S POV (continuing):
Without breaking eye contact, I reached forward and ripped the tape from his mouth.
His cry came out broken.
"Please....please, let me go! I swear, I won't come back! I'll never come near her again, I promise! I swear on everything"
I walked back to my chair and sat down with deliberate calm, as though we were merely discussing business over coffee.
"Sure," I said lightly. "You could do that."
Hope flickered in his eyes.
Then I smiled.
"But I don't trust people."
I let the knife rest across my thigh, tapping its handle against my fingers.
"Trust issues." I chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "A nasty thing, really."
His breathing grew harsher.
"If I let you go," I continued, "and somehow you find your way back… if you decide to be brave… if you think you can stand against me…" I leaned back, eyes narrowing. "Then what?"
I let the silence stretch until it nearly suffocated him.
"Isn't it better to kill the mosquito before it bites you?"
His face drained of color.
"No....no, please! Please! I didn't do anything! I haven't done anything wrong!"
For a second, I just stared at him.
Then I laughed.
Not loud.
Not wild.
Just a cold, empty sound that made the room feel even darker.
"Nothing wrong?"
I rose again, the chair creaking behind me, and stepped toward him until I was looming over him.
"Oh, God…" I muttered, shaking my head. "Every criminal says the exact same thing."
I crouched in front of him, bringing my face level with his.
"Yes," I said quietly. "You did do something."
My expression turned flat. Empty.
"That's why you're here."
I leaned in so close he had nowhere to look but at me.
"You looked at what's mine."
The words were barely above a whisper, but they sliced deeper than any scream.
"And now," I said, my voice turning glacial, "you have to pay for it."
His entire body shook.